The Premise: Ripple Effect
by MkJordy
Summary: "One small step for Ralph, one giant leap for 'Wreck-It Ralph'" (WiR AU) A story of how one arbitrary action in the script can drastically alter the plot of the movie.
1. Chapter 1: Praecaveo

**Chapter 1: Praecaveo **

There it was, the "Medal of Heroes". Wreck-It-Ralph was finally able to claim a medal he earned by using his underappreciated assets: climbing and wrecking. He thought he found the shiniest medal that Niceland has ever seen. A medal so good that it would make Felix's medals wet their pants.

General Hologram in his stoic posture congratulated Ralph, along with many other holograms following suit. No other time in Ralph's thirty years of existence made him feel like a hero than during that ceremony.

After Wreck-It received the medal, pride almost got the best of him. He was so caught up in the moment, almost forgetting the sea of cybug eggs that laid throughout the room. As Ralph walked down the stairs, still savoring the congratulations and the lightshow, he was just a step away from stepping on an egg. On the spur of the moment, Ralph turned his eyes and locked them on the egg just in front of his left foot. Frozen and almost cringing, he made a sigh of relief as he pulled his foot back. Ralph didn't exactly know what would happen should he touch an egg, but he wanted to play it safe. Ralph carefully tip-toed his way across the sea of ovals back to where he entered. It was a miracle that he was able to avoid physical contact with any of the eggs considering his enormous feet.

…Ralph didn't know how life changing it would be - stepping on that egg that stood in front of his left foot - and he had no intentions on finding out.

Climbing up the building in Hero's Duty was already a challenge, what with it being much larger and more complex than the apartment in Niceland. And unlike Fix it Felix Jr., Hero's Duty does not have a conveniently placed pile of mud or a safety net for Ralph to fall in. He had to descend down the building the hard way – the outside walls. He wasn't sure how the traditional route from the bottom floor to the top was, but he wasn't going to take any chances. With the medal tucked in his shirt, Ralph made his long way down the building, excited as well as oblivious to the ruckus he caused for going turbo.

* * *

___Hello, fellow Wreck-It-Ralph fans. I've been pondering on all the sequences of events that seem very arbitrary in Wreck-It-Ralph, but in the grand scheme of things, make a very significant impact on how the rest of the story goes. I just wanted to share my interpretation of this idea._

_Let me know about some things in the story that I can do and do without, it would help greatly. but that's just me. It's possible that chapters will come in weekly updates.  
_


	2. Chapter 2: Infortunatus

_And with out further ado, here is chapter two._

* * *

**Chapter 2: Infortunatus**

Ralph was climbing down the lab in Hero's Duty much faster than he climbed up, with much credit going towards his excitement at the thought of showing off his medal to Felix, the Nicelanders, and especially Gene.

As he was nearing the ground, Ralph turned his head back, noticing in the distance NPCs inching closer to the building, along with that familiar goody-two-shoes co-worker of his (he can recognize Fix-It from a mile away – almost literally). It's a good thing they were still a ways off before they could see Ralph, thanks to the virtually everpresent smoke in Hero's Duty acting as a guise for him.

He was wondering what Felix was doing in Hero's duty, but Ralph was more concerned about being in a disguise, lest the NPCs find out about the medal snatching.

**(…I should really head down the side and get Kapowski's suit before they notice me.)**

Ralph wasn't very good at remembering names.

When he got down, he urgently wore Markowski's suit, just in time before Fix-It and company could see a rather chubby counterpart to the soldiers in Hero's Duty.

It is unkown as to why Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun wasn't able to tell Markowski and Wreck-It-Ralph apart. "Markowski!" Calhoun shouted in slight concern as she was approaching Ralph. "What are you doing here? We thought you went ahead to Tapper's."

"Oh, I was just uh…" he suddenly remembered what he did to actually get into the medal-bearing room, "just, investigating the loud shatter of glass at the top of the building. It wasn't a big deal, just a cybug."

Anyone can easily tell that those last words lingered in the sergeant's mind. ('**It wasn't a big deal, just a cybug'…?)**. She took a split second to remember her pre-programmed wedding day, when a cybug shattered through glass and devoured her would-be husband.

Calhoun's anger was manifested in a swift smack on Ralph's helmeted head, "Not a big deal!? What are you a rookie…!"

Still recovering from that powerful hit, Ralph rebounded "No no! I-I meant that it WAS a big deal…?"

It was then when Calhoun gave a look of suspicion, but brushed it off as soon as she remembered the presence of a hammer-wielding maintenance man. "This little civilian's Fix-It-Felix, looking for a man named Wreck-It-Ralph. Have you seen him? I was told he's nine feet tall, with overalls…" (**how did this "Wreck-It" guy get past me?)**

Ralph really started sweating when he heard his own name, and his suit didn't help him. "I uhh- nope…Wreck-It-Who, Rolfe? Nope never seen him around, heh."

"…Hmph, probably left the game. Well if I find him snooping around here, he's going to be in a world of pain - nothing gets past me…!" The sergeant said as she turned around and signaled her colleagues. "We're escorting Fix-It-Felix out and heading to Tapper's, let's roll out."

As everyone headed back to Hero's Duty's Shuttle Station, Ralph pulled Felix aside and paced some steps behind the bulky suited men and their sergeant far enough to be able to speak softly,

"Hey Felix! It's me Ralph."

"…I could kinda tell it was you, friend. I'm glad I didn't have to run higgledy-piggledy all over creation looking for you, but to go here? Why did you go Turbo, Ralph?"

"I'll tell you later… but hey. Can you do me a favor, gather the Nicelanders and bring them to the penthouse? Oh and Gene especially? I'm going to show you guys something."

Fix-It could sense that Ralph was very excited, like a little kid ready to give a medal to a friend. In thirty years, Felix couldn't remember a time when Ralph wanted to show the Nicelanders anything at all. That, and it was the first time Ralph ever asked for a favor, so it was hard for Felix to decline.

"…Sure thing, but…you do know that you just put us 'out of order' when you left and came to this game…right?"

Ralph's guilt started clouding over him just slightly as he responded, "W-…well, sorry about that. But it's not a big deal right? I mean, remember when I fell asleep in the washroom at Tapper's? When I came back, all you guys had to do was go to your positions and I just say my usual phrase when Mr. Litwik walks by our game. Then he'd check and know that our game's 'fixed'."

"I-its Mr. Litwak…"

Calhoun and company were already at the Shuttle Station in Hero's Duty when she noticed Fix-It-Felix and "Markowski" catching up very slowly. When they caught up, the sergeant looked impatient, "Markowski, what is the second rule of Hero's Duty?"

"Err…'Never interfere with the first person shooter?'"

Calhoun took a deep breath after he said the first rule. "…Never lag."

With those words said, they all went into the shuttle, ready for a fast travel across the cable to Game Central Station.

...

All the while, a little girl in Sugar Rush was hanging around Candy Cane Forest all by her lonesome. Every time the Random Roster Race took place, she would park her Likkity Split into the forest, climb up to a candy cane tree, and wait for the race to start.

She always liked hanging around there, on top of the trees - quite literally. There, she could see "Sugar Rush" implanted in the landscape of the game, as well as hear fitting music sung by a group who couldn't sing in fluent English. She could also see the race from up there; although hard to see sometimes, it was possible to view for the most part.

Regardless of the fact that she had an abnormally mature disposition at times, she was still programmed as a kid. Many kids have – or at least want to have - a person to look up to or call a 'hero'. Being a kid, she couldn't help but occasionally imagine how she would envision her imaginary hero to be. Occasionally, she would stretch her imagination quite humorously - sometimes it would be a hairy, ape-like humanoid - but she didn't really care how her hero would look like - or smell. She did contemplate a bit with the dynamics of her imaginary hero's personality. If he was a dishonest person at the start, she would probably give him a hard time. If he was relatable, she would perhaps open up to him and even show her secret home in Diet Cola Mountain.

It's a shame that she didn't know that there really was a hero out there for her.

And it's an even bigger shame that her hero would have other plans.

Poor Vanellope Von Schweetz.

* * *

_I__ may not be the best writer__ out__ there when it comes to pacing, but hey. I'm trying. _

_I got sick as I was writing this chapter out, but nothing ain't stopping me!...yknow, except carpal tunnel syndrome._

_Updates may come weekly, but there's no promising, sorry. Let me know what you guys think about what I've written so far? Thanks._


	3. Chapter 3: Fefello

_Been a busy week, but I'm still rollin'. I'm alright i guess._**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Fefello  
**

The shuttle made a quick arrival towards Game Central Station, where the hustle and bustle of familiar video game characters was a norm sight for the 30-year-old veterans Ralph and Felix.

An impatient Calhoun and her crew headed over to Tapper's while Ralph was assuring Felix that he'll be at their own game very shortly.

"I kinda 'borrowed' this suit from a guy who was at Tapper's…I just need to drop it off there real quick. Oh, and please don't forget. Bring everyone into the penthouse, thanks."

Felix made a 'What could possibly go wrong?' face as he nodded and walked back to Fix-It-Felix Jr.

As Wreck-It headed his way towards Tapper's, he was still seeing characters back away from him in fear. Little did he know was that virtually the whole arcade was intimidated by the NPCs in Hero's Duty, mainly because of the nature of the game they were a part of and their appearance in state-of–the-art High Definition. Even the Surge Protector would be hesitant on giving them a security check. Thus, Wreck-It-Markowski was able to pass on to Tapper's without encountering another "random security check".

When he entered the game made famous for root beer and giving advice, Ralph passed by the game's saloon door and Wall of Fame, hoping that Markowski was still asleep in the Lost-and-Found room. Much to Ralph's surprise, he was still sleeping soundly, muttering incomprehensibly.

The bug-fearing NPC of Hero's Duty was a slacker and somewhat of a heavy sleeper. He was always the last one to appear in his game when the arcade opened and always the first one to leave, usually just falling facedown onto his bed.

Neverminding Markowski's appearance as a naked man in Zangief's underwear (or outerwear), Ralph struggled to remove his suit and left it inside the designated Lost-and-Found box.

No complications occurred that time, since Calhoun and company were immersed in the abundance of root beer and subsequently never noticed Ralph's large body passing by the saloon door in a not-so-subtle manner.

With the medal tucked in his shirt, Ralph triumphantly left Tapper's, only then hearing a familiar noise and seeing an even more familiar person.

"Step aside, sir, random security check."

An irritated sigh became the header of a frustrated response. "My name is Wreck-It-Ralph and I'm coming from Tapper's and no I did not bring any fruit with me and I am heading to Fix it Felix Jr. And I hate you."

"…Proceed."

His sour mood subsided as Ralph entered the undersized trolley train en route to Fix it Felix Jr. On the way, he was palpably excited, ready to show off his one and only medal and see the look on everyone's faces, including Gene.

The trolly train made a bumpy stop and Ralph jumped out of his seat, darting towards the entrance of the apartment building with medal in hand.

He had to make sure he was delicate inside the building – specifically, the elevator. Nonetheless, his excitement never shook off. When the elevator ascended to the penthouse floor, Ralph was almost giddy, but he cleared his throat as he was right in front of the door of the penthouse room.

Without hesitation, he opened the door – with just enough care – as he shouted "Hey-oh everybody!"

The room was dark, only lightened by an orange glow and the reflection of Felix's shiny golden hammer. Everyone that was part of the game was there, but none of the Nicelanders looked happy... They were more relieved that he was back than anything.

"Uh, haha..hey guys, I'm back! Why the long faces? Nothing to worry about anymore, right?"

While everyone remained quiet, Gene was angry. He said with squinty eyes, a frown, and crossed arms "Where were you Ralph?"

"Hah... Y'know, that's a great question Gene, because after our little episode with the cake and what not, I was set on getting a medal to prove you wrong, remember?"

Gene didn't change his facial expression, but that didn't stop Ralph from talking.

"Well guess what…" a smirking Ralph removed the 'Medal of Heroes' tucked under his shirt and showcased the dazzling medal wrapped around his neck.

The crowd was quiet – perhaps too quiet. Ralph could've sworn he heard a cricket chirping. His imagination of how the crowd would react and how they actually did were polarizing opposites. "G-Guys, see this? It's a medal I earned!"

Gene decided to add rain on Ralph's parade. "…By going Turbo, Ralph?"

"Technically yea but…but at least I didn't get any games unplugged, right?"

"Well you almost!" With his face still staring at Ralph, Gene pointed towards the arcade cabinet window, tinted with an orange paper that indicated the same fate as poor Q*bert.

With his mood assuredly killed, Ralph was evidently having a bad day.

"...Alright look... I'm sorry for making you guys panic over this whole thing, but…"

he sighed before he proceeded. "I'm just tired of living alone in the garbage."

Gene replies with a little "Hmph," as he flicked the penthouse key in Ralph's direction.

"Well then, never let it be said I'm not a man of my word."

As Ralph picked up the key, the Nicelanders started leaving.

"You can live alone in the penthouse now."

* * *

_Oh woe is Ralph, so underappreciated..._

_Spring break is happening, so I will PROBABLY be able to write a few more chapters this week (This'll probably never happen again anytime soon). Highschooljustsucksyaknow.  
_

_Comments and the like are appreciated as usual, I like reading them and stuff. Interesting people in this community by the way..._

_If anyone would like to pitch in with ideas about Vanellope, I'd dig that (she's super adorable, I can't leave her out of this)._


	4. Chapter 4: Praeteritum

**Chapter 4: Praeteritum**

The last one to leave the penthouse before the new owner was Felix, to which he tipped his hat in consolation, knowing that the event didn't go out as planned.

It wasn't long until Ralph made his not-so-merry return to Tapper's. That game was, after all, a place where he's always been able to drown out his sorrows with root beer and words of wisdom from R.B. Tapper himself.

The bar wasn't as crowded as it normally would've been at night, so there was a lack of chatter and laughing, which matched Ralph's mood anyway.

"Hey there Ralph, what'll it be? Root beer or..? Heh, that never gets old." Tapper greeted Ralph as soon as he opened the saloon door.

Wreck-It made a weak smile as a response and proceeded to sit on his seat, eyes facing down the floor.

"...Couldn't find a medal?" The bartender said as he was filling up a glass of root beer and observing the downed guy's body language.

"No, it's not that. Well, actually..." Ralph pulled out the 'Medal of Heroes' and showed it to Tapper.

The slightly shocked bartender passed the root beer as he said "Woah hey, look at that! I'm impressed. Someone's going to be sleeping in the penthouse tonight."

Those last words reminded Ralph about what Gene said to him after tossing the key. "...Oh forget the penthouse, I don't want to live there. I wouldn't be able to move my stump into the building anyway." He had a point, since the opening scene for Fix-it-Felix Jr. required his stump at the ground floor, yet Tapper knew he was just trying to let off some steam.

"...So I bet you showed the Nicelanders your medal and it didn't go out as planned huh." Tapper was easily able to put two and two together.

"*Sigh* Kinda. It's just that nobody even congratulated me on earning that medal. But they always do it to that stinkin' Felix..." Ralph took a moment to chug down his root beer and politely ask for another one.

The bartender was still intent on listening as he was filling up another round.

"I mean, I'm a big part of the game right? When the game went 'out of order', that was because I wasn't there."

"Ah, ya got a point there, big guy." the glass was slid and stopped abruptly by Ralph's enormous hands.

Tapper honestly didn't have much words of comfort to say this time, but he tried carrying on the conversation nonetheless.

"Say, Ralph, I think you should start going to Bad-Anon more often."

"I guess I should huh...by the way, thanks for encouraging me to finally go there yesterday."

"Hey no problem, I do what I can to help."

A short pause seemed appropriate before Tapper continued the topic. "But it's not just a support group, it's also a place where you can make a couple of close friends."

**(...A 'close friend' huh...) **Ralph thought as he drank his glass less violently than before. It was then when he immediately realized that he had none.

Tapper was cleaning the mug he had in hand with a rag as he was talking. "Makin' a close friend or two can sure make a difference, regardless of whether your life seems rough or not."

"How do ya know, Tapper?"

"Heh, well I used to have one. It was years ago though, and I haven't seen her in a long while."

It seemed Tapper was a little hesitant to add on to what he just said, but for just a little while, Ralph wanted to forget about his plight.

"...I uhh. Well, I have time. Care to tell me about this person, Tapper?"

It was a slow night for the bartender, and it was virtually empty except for a couple of lone regulars who were content with the amount of root beer they had, so Tapper felt compelled to seize the moment and talk a little about his past.

"Alright then Ralph, buckle up and I'll talk as soon as I give you another root beer."

Ralph wanted to hear about what Tapper had to say, as he was hoping it would make him forget about the situation he was in just for some time.

Tapper slid Wreck-It another glass of root beer before starting his little anecdote.

"So it was back in '97. It was the first day that Sugar Rush Speedway came to Litwak's Arcade, and after the arcade's closing hours, a little girl in a white tracksuit came from the game and passed through that saloon door." The bartender appropriately pointed to the only point of access to the bar.

He chuckled as he continued, "She was an odd one, I'll tell ya that. Sure had a precocious spirit and a sharp tongue, but it wasn't long after I met her until I knew how much of a child she was at heart. As well as a close friend."

Out of curiosity, Ralph asked "What's her name?"

Tapper paused to clean another mug with his rag. It seemed as if he was trying to remember what the name of his little friend was, but he actually thought it was just appropriate to make a little pause before answering,

"Vanellope Von Schweetz."

* * *

_I read your guys' responses 'n suggestions, and thanks! I really did consider what you guys had to say (As always, I appreciate it and the like). Now, back to the drawing board…_

_I enjoy writing this fanfic quite a bit...Hopefully, I'll be able to write another chapter soon before April. (I'll have no life for one month..APEXAMPREPARATION)._


	5. Chapter 5: Insolitus

**Chapter 5: Insolitus  
**

A customer was eavesdropping on Tapper's conversation with Ralph the entire time. He insisted on interrupting the conversation to ask a couple of questions, "Heya Tapper. And uh…H-hey Ralph." The customer was a flat honey graham bear, one of the two who attended Fix It Felix Jr.'s 30th anniversary party. He was quite peculiar, as his eyes and body were stiffer than a stick; he also had a permanent, uncanny smile on his face, but he was able converse nonetheless. Although the bear was always intimidated by Ralph, seeing Tapper talk to the big guy so casually made the bear at least less intimidated than usual.

In the attempt to avoid being rude, Ralph greeted back with an awkward wave.

"Hey there Graham. Need something?" Tapper asked, noticing the bear's mug was still full.

"Yea, Um... so Tapper, are you talking about Vanellope from Sugar Rush?"

"Why, yes I am…" Tapper took a second to grab the nearest empty mug to clean. "Are you a part of that game?"

"Mhm. W-Well, I'm part of the crowd, but yea."

"I see. Well, tell the princess I said hello and ah, she should come visit sometime..."

Years ago, Vanellope suddenly stopped visiting Tapper with such abruptness and absence of warning, that it sure hit him close to home. He did try to contact the girl over time, but not directly. The poor bartender was never able to leave his game on the days when the arcade wasn't open, since the bar would always be packed perpetually. Also, people-pleasing has been in his code for the past few decades, so he couldn't just close up shop for the day and refuse to serve root beer to thirsty customers without feeling guilt.

When the arcade was closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas, Tapper would ask the only paperboy in the arcade to deliver an invitation letter addressed to "Princess Schweetz". The kid would never hesitate to deliver things, as he quite enjoyed doing it – it's in his code after all. Tapper knew that the paperboy was fit for the job because he would be swift on his bike and barely have any complications with delivering a letter to the only castle in Sugar Rush. Unfortunately, the bartender never knew much about how a paperboy delivers newspapers. The kid would never give Tapper's letters directly, but he would toss them – like newspapers - onto the front door of the castle and leave, not knowing who would notice the letter and take it.

Tapper took a moment to think about the last time he saw Vanellope, which to him felt like eons ago. His thoughts were interrupted when Graham asked "...Princess? Um, you mean the king, right? King Candy?"

Tapper was completely unfamiliar with this 'king'. "King Candy? I've never heard Vanellope talk about him before."

Although the honey graham bear was barely able to change his facial expression, even Ralph was able to notice how confused the bear was.

"Uh, Tapper…Are we talking about the same Vanellope here? The one I'm talking about is a glitch."

"Hmm... I guess we're not. The one I'm talking about is the princess of Sugar Rush. Don't you know her? Haven't you seen her around?"

"Actually, I haven't... King Candy said he's the only royalty in the game, which also makes him the rightful ruler."

**(That doesn't make sense, Schweetz said she ruled the place…). **Tapper was very confused, and he thought long and hard about the information he just learned. He knew that no characters in the arcade ever change their roles in their game, unless someone goes Turbo. How could it be that there was a king currently ruling Sugar Rush when Vanellope was the sole, rightful ruler years ago?

"...How does the Vanellope you're talking about look like?" Just to make sure, Tapper wanted to know whether or not they were talking about the same person.

Graham wasn't a stalker, but he was able to describe what made her look distinct from the racers akin to her size.

"Well, she's short like the other kids in the game, but she has a lot of candy on her hair. Also has a high pony tail. Funny looking eyebrows I guess."

when he heard about the eyebrows, Tapper knew for sure that they were talking about the same Vanellope, no doubt about it.

"...T-that's her! But a glitch…?" **(So that's why she doesn't come here anymore...?)**

"Yea...It sure would suck being a glitch huh? You wouldn't be able to go out your game or visit other ones. Oh and uh Tapper, what I'm wondering is how was she able to come to this game? From what I can remember, she was a glitch since Sugar Rush Speedway came to Litwak's."

"I-I don't know Graham...I don't know." Something was wrong and much too odd for Tapper to just accept all the information he absorbed that night and not do anything about it.

An awkward pause ensued after Tapper contemplated about what he learned that night. He broke the silence when he suddenly said "Hey, it was nice talking to you Graham, and you too Ralph. But I'm going to have to close up shop early for tonight. Goodnight, fellas."

"Oh okay, see you later Tapper. S-see ya Ralph."

Ralph once again, made an awkward wave as a response to Graham. Wreck-It figured he should say his goodbye at that point as well, "Goodnight, Tapper. And thanks for the root beer." Ralph passed through the saloon door, and after hearing what was said about this 'Vanellope', he was at least slightly relieved by the fact that he wasn't the only one in the arcade who had it hard. Life as a glitch? Not being able to leave their game? Ralph thought about how it would be like being a glitch as he was heading back to his game. He also thought about how the girl would have no choice but to go down with the ship if her game was unplugged. Even though he never knew her, he couldn't help but feel some pity for the girl.

Once he made it back to Fix It Felix Jr., Ralph went straight to sleep, exhausted by the events that took place that day. Although he technically was the owner of the penthouse room, he was too lazy to sleep there for the night. He went to his stump at the dump to rest up for the next morning.

And while everyone was sleeping, Tapper went game-jumping.

* * *

_Yea I know, this chapter was more focused on Tapper._

_I guess we'll see how this story turns out ya? Reviews are appreciated as always._

_Has anyone made a fanfic about Vanellope and Tapper? If not, I'd be down for that._


	6. Chapter 6: Ad Hoc

**Chapter 6: Ad Hoc**

Game central station was an eerie place in the middle of the night, especially when no one was around. Most of the lights were shut off, leaving only the dim brightness of red in front of every game entrance. Even the Pac-man ghosts were afraid of roaming around there, except for Clyde. It seemed that he had everything calm, cool, and collected, which was probably why he was a regular volunteer for the Surge Protector's neighborhood watch program. The program was implemented to prevent a Turbotime-RoadBlasters incident from happening in the middle of the night.

Tapper was very determined to find the truth about Vanellope and King Candy. If he had just gone to bed that night, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, not after hearing about what Graham said at the bar.

**(Schweetz, a glitch huh...)**

His plan for the night was to make a very brief visit to Fix-It-Felix Jr., head over to the castle in Sugar Rush, find the truth, and head back before the arcade opened in the morning.

His first problem was the neighborhood watch program. He was doing the very thing that the program was made to prevent. **(Hmph…I tried stopping Turbo from game-jumping, but now I'm doing the same thing…? At least it's for a good cause.)**

His first course of action was to sneak into Fix-It-Felix Jr. He was efficient when it came to stealth, since he had the natural tendency of courteously moving when his co-workers were4 asleep in their game. Although, his size may have been hindering him from being able to move quickly and quietly simultaneously. He was sly enough to avoid complete detection from Clyde, although Clyde sensed that someone was sneaking around.

After taking a ride on the trolley train en route to Fix-It-Felix Jr., Tapper noticed an orange glow about the game.

**(Drat!...I can't see anything outside the game if that sign's in the way.)**

He wasn't quite desperate, but rather willing to be a little selfish to help achieve what he wanted to do that night. Tapper looked around for Ralph, which wasn't hard, since all he had to do was look for a dump.

"...Hey, hey Ralph!" Tapper shouted in a whisper.

"...Huh, huh what..." The slumbering giant took his hand to rub his eyes as he got up a little bit to sit. "...Tapper? W-what are you doing here?"

"I have a little favor to ask of you..." Although Tapper had no need to whisper silently, he still felt compelled to do so. "Do you think you can help me climb the apartment up to the penthouse balcony?"

Stretching as he yawned, Ralph replied, "Wait...What for?"

"This may be a little odd, but I want you to grab something and throw it at the orange paper covering the cabinet window so that it lops... I need to see something outside, and it's really important Ralph, I'd appreciate it."

"I uhh...Okay, I guess I can help out..."

As Ralph and Tapper headed over to the front of the apartment building, Ralph told him to hang on to his overalls as he climbed up.

The bartender was actually scared of heights, so perhaps he didn't think this through well enough. **(Don't...look...down...) **

"Hey Tapper, I'm going to have to climb a little slower, since I don't want to wake up any of the Nicelanders... If you don't mind."

"Y-yea, sure..."

It only took a few minutes for Ralph to climb up to the balcony of the penthouse floor, but to Tapper, it felt like an eternity.

Ralph dusted himself off as he said, "Alright... so we're here now, I guess I'll just throw my medal. You sure this won't wake up the Nicelanders?"

"...It's okay Ralph, it's okay."

Wreck-It shrugged as he removed his medal tucked under his shirt and positioned himself for a swift toss towards the cabinet window.

"...Hey Ralph, try to throw the medal at the top left corner of the paper."

"Alright..." The medal flew like a shooting star and emitted a very metallic noise in the air before it struck glass. Fortunately, the impact wasn't as loud as Ralph anticipated, but it was strong enough for the top left corner of the paper to lop downwards, leaving just enough space for Tapper to see Sugar Rush Speedway.

"Success! Thanks Ralph, I owe you one."

"Nah, It's fine. I'm good. So what is it that you wanted to see? All I can see is the candy go-kart game over by the Whack-A-Mole...Oh wait, it's Sugar Rush."

"Yea...I just wanted to check..." Tapper observed the artwork on the side of Sugar Rush Speedway's game cabinet. A picture of a little girl in a white tracksuit caught Tapper's eye.

**(I knew it...!) **"Alright, I got what I came here for. Thanks Ralph. I appreciate you helping me out..."

"Hey no problem Tapper, you've never asked me for a favor anyway, so I'm sure this was important for you."

After they spent the next few minutes heading down, Tapper said a farewell to Ralph as he boarded the trolley train and headed over to his next destination: Sugar Rush.

The orange ghost was still on patrol when Tapper tried sneaking over to the next game, but yet again, the bartender was sly enough for Clyde to not detect him. Although, Clyde still had the feeling that someone was sneaking around.

After enduring a long walk through Sugar Rush's cable, Tapper stepped onto slightly familiar territory. He's been there once before, but it was years ago when Vanellope invited him over to the game's first anniversary party. Back then, his rationale for leaving his game and attending the party was the fact that he was able to serve drinks there.

The game's environment was almost overwhelming for him. He was more used to the scent of his bar and its orange-blue color palette compared to Sugar Rush's sweet aroma and diverse color palette. Nonetheless, he marched on like the 8-bit trooper he was. His limited frames of animation contrasted greatly with everything else around him, but that never really bothered Tapper.

It took him over an hour to navigate his way past the landscape of ubiquitous candy and spot the lone, white castle in Sugar Rush, which made him think about when he should head back to his game before the arcade opened. Fortunately, it wasn't quite midnight yet, so Tapper thought he had plenty of time to find out about the truth and head back before the first wave of kids arrived in the morning.

Unfortunately, Tapper would soon find out that it would take longer than expected.

An odd chant reached Tapper's ears, increasing in volume as he was walking through the long bridge that was connected to the entrance of the castle.

**(...'Oreo'?) **It took him a while to remember that actual Oreos were chanting, with spears and all. **(...Oh right! I remember those guys. Such nice fellas they were...Good bodyguards for the princess too.)**

As he was just a few meters away from the door, the Oreos stopped chanting and turned towards Tapper. "Hey there fellas! Remember me?"

They all stood still silently, not even uttering a single word in response. They didn't perceive Tapper as a threat, so they stood to the side, allowing him to enter.

"I guess not...?" Tapper walked towards the door handle with slight haste in an attempt to avoid an awkward atmosphere of silence.

He used the door handle to respectfully pound on the door thrice and took a step back to wait for it to open.

A few minutes followed, with the awkward atmosphere of silence reaching Tapper, much to his dismay. With enough patience, the door opened, but it didn't seem as if there was anyone there to open it.

And then a very monotone voice called out, "...Mmm Yes?"

For a few seconds, Tapper was honestly quite startled. No one could blame him, since the door did seem to open by itself and a voice did seem to appear out of thin air. It wasn't until he looked down when he saw a familiar green figure.

**(Oh...Haha, this little fella.)**

"Sour Bill! It's been a while, remember me?"

The green ball's frown remained the same, "...I can't say I do."

"I see." **(I know it's been years since I've been here, but am I just not a memorable guy...?)**

"...Are you a planned visitor for King Candy?"

"No, I suppose I'm not."

"...What is your reason for coming here?"

"I just want to talk to the king and ask him a couple of questions for...clarity."

"Mmkay...Right this way."

The pink interior of the castle was just how it was like back in the 90's, which was normal considering the fact that places never really changed in video games anyway. While Tapper waited for Sour Bill to get the king, he heard a loud rumbling noise rise as a white car passed through a tunnel, circling Tapper twice and stopping abruptly in order to park the car and position it to form a throne chair.

"Hah, that's a nice bow tie, King Candy." It was the first thing Tapper noticed about the king even before he jumped out of his car.

"Ha ha! I see that we both have good tastes in clothing, but enough small tal..." He stopped mid-sentence as he took off his goggles. "...Tap- I mean, ha ha! Hello, unplanned visitor! What might your name be?"

"Hello, I'm Tapper, the bartender from the game...Tapper."

"I see! Well Sour Bill told me you came here to ask me a few questions?"

"Yea, that's just about it if you don't mind..."

"Well, before you do so, let me ask you a question." The King's welcoming tone changed to suspicion. "Why did you come here in the middle of the night? You're not going Turbo are you?"

"Heh, a bartender like me? Sugar Rush Speedway probably isn't interfering with the popularity of my game, so I have no motive to go Turbo."

"Hmph... Well good, but just for the record... If you think you can come in here to my kingdom and take over my game, you've got another thing coming, ha ha! So what is it that you wanted to ask me?"

Tapper made an appropriate pause before asking his question, "King Candy, how long have you been ruling Sugar Rush?" He was obviously beating around the bush, but he wanted to hold off on his real question for later.

"For over a decade now! Ever since this game came to the arcade."

"Interesting...Do you have any family or?"

"Eh, well I am the only royalty around here... You can't blame me, since the programmers made me that way."

"...Well then, what about Princess Vanellope?"

"P-princess Vanellope?" The king felt uneasy before clearing his throat, "...She was never a princess in the first place, she's a glitch. Unfortunately, a glitch that was never meant to exist."

Tapper's eyes eyed the ground as he responded "Is that so..."

"Tragic, but yes... Well, if that's all you're going to ask me, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave for the nigh-."

"One...Just one more question, King Candy." Tapper interrupted to ask his real question. "So I happened to notice that on the side of this game's arcade cabinet, there's a picture of Vanellope racing that very kart you have over there. Care to explain?"

King Candy felt uneasy again, this time whispering to his green servant, "Sour Bill... take the guards at the entrance and leave, Tapper and I are going to have a little talk outside."

"So, Tapper, let's continue this talk at the front..."

The both of them walked out to the entrance of the castle, leaving the door slightly opened when King Candy said, "So, Tapper... I don't know what you came here for... but I'm not going to answer your last question. Because I'm not going to let you undo all my hard work."

The king took a few steps back, using his left arm to activate a trap door located right under Tapper's feet.

"I'm the greatest racer in this arcade... And I'm not going to let a person like you take it away from me!"

* * *

_Hopefully, I wasn't trying to make this chapter long just for the sake of making it long...Reviews and comments welcomed and appreciated as per the usual. Thanks._

_To clarify, the Ralph-Vanellope story arc is still going to happen._


	7. Chapter 7: Fatum

**Chapter 7: Fatum**

"Good morning everyone, Mr. Litwak's here! To your demo positions!"

Ralph arose from his slumber, scratching his eyes as he looked towards the paper covering the game screen. **(Oh right, gotta show the guy that our game's still working…) **He lifted himself up and ran quickly to the apartment building where he would climb up and wait for the others to head to their positions before yelling out "I'm gonna wreck-it!"

He said it just in time before Mr. Litwak removed the slanted orange paper that covered the game's screen. "Hey, Ralph's back! Isn't that great!" The arcade owner shouted in joy as he laughed a laugh of relief. "The gang's all here!" The way he said it made it seem as if he personally knew Ralph and crew over the past 30 years.

A worker was standing nearby, staring at the arcade cabinet with an unfazed face. He seemed untouched by the happiness Mr. Litwak was emitting as he said, "…Sir, I realize this is a 'touching' moment between you and…this game, but if I have nothing to take here, I think I should be going. Today's a busy day for me."

"Hmm? Oh yea okay," Mr. Litwak replied, staring at the screen of the game with a smile on his face as he took a five dollar bill from his pocket and handed it over to the worker. "Here's your tip, as always. Thanks for coming over."

When the worker left, a slew of kids were gathering at the entrance of the arcade, ready to spend their allowance money and get their hands on various games the arcade had to offer. The influx of kids flooded the entire place, which was a little more than just an average day for Mr. Litwak. Virtually every game was occupied, from the recently plugged in Hero's Duty to the games that were there for decades.

It was good business for Mr. Litwak that day.

As the arcade closed for the night, Ralph was itching to get some root beer from Tapper, so he was about to leave his game when he had the chance. As he made his way to the trolley train, he saw Felix standing nearby.

"Hey there, Felix."

"Heya Ralph." Felix greeted with the same straight-laced friendliness Ralph was accustomed to. "Where ya heading?"

"Oh, I'm just gonna head over to Tapper's and get some root beer."

"Ah, I see...Mind if I tag along?"

Ralph was a bit surprised, since no one ever offered to hang out with him before. "Uhhh... Sure no, I don't mind."

Nothing more than awkward silence and small talk took place between the two before they arrived in Game Central Station.

They both noticed that there was something odd about the station. The crowd seemed to be thickly concentrated around the game entrance to...Tapper.

As Wreck-It and Fix-It walked closer, they were able to barely hear others shouting.

"Hey, where's Tapper!?"

"Why can't we go in!?"

"Where else can we get root beer, Burgertime!?"

Clyde was at the front of the game's entrance, comforting Tapper's distressed co-workers as he responded to the crowd, "Everybody calm down, please! And there's nothing wrong with Burgertime's root beer...! It's just...not as good. No offense, Peter."

"...None taken." The chef's voice was slightly heard over the chatter of the people.

Ralph tried to politely make his way through the thickness of the crowd, but his size mostly did the work for him. With Felix following the leader, they both walked over to Clyde, who always seemed to have an aura about him that was calm, cool, and collected.

"Oh, hey Ralph."

"What's going on here, Clyde?"

"It's Tapper..." Clyde said cheerlessly. "...His game's 'out of order'."

Ralph and Felix shouted simultaneously "What!?"

"He's missing...His co-workers said he wasn't at the bar when the arcade opened. They heard their game's getting unplugged tomorrow morning...It's a good thing that one worker left hours before the kids were able to notify Litwak. You guys haven't seen Tapper around have you?"

While Felix had to shake his head in response, Ralph thought about last night when Tapper woke him up to do a little favor.

Then it suddenly hit him. He remembered that the only thing he was able to see outside his game was the candy go-kart game over by the whack-a-mole. **(He probably wanted to see Princess Penelope...)**

"...I think I know where he went." Ralph looked over to the entrance of Sugar Rush. "Hey Felix, I'm gonna be gone for a little while... I'll be back before midnight, I can promise that." Whether he wanted to receive recognition from the arcade or help out a friendly bartender, Ralph was set on finding Tapper.

He made his way through the thick crowd and ran passed the entrance to Sugar Rush, enduring a long way through the cable and onto unfamiliar territory.

Perhaps he wasn't able to hold up his promise to Felix.

For a few hours he wandered about, eventually spotted a lone, white castle, and travelled through the long bridge that was connected to the castle's entrance.

**(Huh, well that's inviting.)** There were no guards at the front, and along with the burning torches, the place looked deserted. Ralph knocked on the door and patiently waited for the door to open.

"...Mmm yes?"

"Yes I uhh..." Ralph turned his head left and right in confusion before looking down. "...I want to talk to the royalty here..."

"...Are you a planned visitor?"

"Uhh... No, I don't think so. But I just want to ask something real quick."

"...Mmkay, right this way."

Ralph went in, noticing how pink the interior of the castle was. He waited a few minutes before he was able to hear a loud rumbling noise rise as a white car passed through a tunnel, circling Ralph twice and stopping abruptly in order to park the car and position it to form a throne chair.

"I see your a fan of pink." Ralph said before the king removed his goggles and jumped out of his car.

"Salmon...It's salmon, it's obviously salmo-" King Candy suddenly paused as he looked at the standing giant in familiarity. "Wreck-It Ralph? What are you doing here?"

**(How does he know my name?)** "Hello, your candiness. I'm just looking for a guy named Tapper, and I just wanted to know if you've seen him around here...?"

"Tapper? Ha ha well, I can't say I have."

"I see...Well I was thinking he wanted to see Princess Penelope..."

King Candy's paranoia was at an all time high. "...You mean Vanellope?"

"Yea her! Tapper said she was the princess of Sugar Rush, right? Say, do you think I can meet her? Maybe she might know where Tapper is."

"...Ha ha, sure...I'll have Wynnchel and Duncan escort you. Wynnchel! Duncan!"

Two donut cops arrived at the scene. "Your Highness?"

King Candy pointed at Ralph with his head, "...Tase this intruder."

"W-Wait, what did you-" Ralph backed away, confused and scared, but unable to speak any further when Wynnchel used a taser on him.

"I'm not going to take any chances, Ralph! Wynnchel, keep tasing him until he's too weak to move, we're locking him up in the fungeon."

"But sir, he's too big to fit in the small cell doors!"

"...It's okay, just put him in the glitch's room."

Ralph's eyes were blindfolded and his hands and feet were handcuffed with the strongest pair of red vines in the entire arcade. His weight was too much for the cops to handle, so he was put on a kart to be escorted into the fungeon.

**(What have I gotten myself into...)** "Hey guys, fellas...! This is a misunderstanding, I wasn't doing anything wrong! And I need to find Tapper and get back to my game before the arcade opens..."

"Sorry, mister, we have orders to follow."

Ralph heard a door open and was thrown onto the stone cold ground.

He shouted after he heard the door close, "Guys, please! I need to get back to my game befor-" He was interrupted by a shrill voice.

"Hey, chump! A child is trying to sleep here, sheesh..."

* * *

_Welp, I don't really have anything to say this time, other than (OHMY,APEXAMSAREINLESSTHAN3WEEKS). And also umm, yea it took this many chapters for them to finally meet. Yay? Comments and reviews are welcome and appreciated._


	8. Chapter 8: Colloquium

**Chapter 8: Colloquium**

Ralph was thinking that the person talking to him was a little girl, presuming from the pitch of her voice.

"...Great, now I'm wide awake. Thanks for that, mister," he heard her say while she repositioned herself, emitting a clatter of chains that sounded as if they were binding the girl.

**(She's shackled huh. But I need someone to take this blindfold off...)**

"S-sorry about that kid," Ralph replied, apologizing while trying to wrestle his way out of the red vine restraints, "I didn't see you there..."

A long silence emanated from Ralph's failed attempts to free his hands and feet, which made him feel awkward, considering the fact that he was laying on the ground like a helpless worm. It didn't make the little girl feel awkward, though. Unbeknownst to Ralph, she was observing him, interested in knowing about who he was and what he did to get thrown into the fungeon.

She asked in curiosity, "...so hey, what's your name?"

He made his last attempt to free himself as he replied, "Ralph... Wreck-It Ralph."

"You're not from here are you?"

"No..." Ralph said sullenly, accepting the fact that he couldn't loosen himself from his restraints. "...No, I'm not."

"What're ya in here for?"

"...I uh...Was just trying to find a friend of mine. And then for some reason, the king threw me in here..." he finished his sentence lamely.

"Ah," she drawled in feigned interest seconds before asking,"...Hey, are you a hobo?"

**(What kind of question...?) **"Uhhh, no..." for a few seconds, he contemplated a bit before proceeding, "w-well, even though I live in garbage...That's beside the point."

The girl responded abruptly, "woah haha, so that explains why you smell so bad!"

Ralph felt a little more offended than he thought he should have been.

"...Yea, thanks for making me feel self consciou-"

"What's that? Couldn't hear ya!" She wittingly interrupted, "your stench is so bad, it made my ears numb."

Perhaps Ralph thought the girl was trying to instigate a lighthearted conversation, but he just wasn't in the mood.

"...Look kid, that's not very ni-" "That's not very nice...!" She echoed in a pseudo-gravelly voice.

"...You're mimicki-" "You're mimicking me!"

An irritated Ralph sighed before opening his mouth again. "...Okay."

"Okay."

"That is rude-" "That. Is. Rude."

"..." "..."

At that point, the girl was able to sense how ill-humored Ralph was at the moment.

"Ahh sorry mister, I'm just bored. I can't go to sleep, there's nothing to do here..."

There was no response but rather just more silence, aside from the occasional sound of the girl's shoes kicking the stone slab she was sitting on. In the attempt to keep a conversation going, she commented, "...so you said you live in the garbage? That's cool!"

"...Tch no, not cool. It's unhygenic. And boring," he mumbled the last part of his sentence, "and lonely..."

"Huh, ya don't say..." the girl remarked, as if she was able to empathize with what he just said.

Realizing that he probably wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Ralph decided to elongate the conversation as well, "...so what are you in here for?"

"Ahh, well..." the girl paused for a bit to think, "just for being me I guess."

"...what do you mean?"

"King Candy saw me outside my home a few hours ago... I was minding my own business, just working on a kart I made myself. For some reason, he seemed paranoid before telling me how I can't race and all that stuff... And then, he binded me with this...thing," she gestured with her arms the chunk of metal that was wrapped around her waist, although Ralph couldn't see.

"Then after that, he ordered his men to tear down my kart..."

"Wow, this King Candy isn't so nice huh...?"

"...Hmph, to me that is." the girl added, "he treats the others just fine. And it's all because I'm... different."

Ralph seemed confused, yet curious.

"Different...?"

"Yea..." she acknowledged, "everyone here says I'm just a mistake, and that I wasn't even supposed to exist."

**(Wasn't supposed to exist...?)** It was then when Ralph suddenly remembered what King Candy told Wynnchel **(So this is the glitch's room...)**. "...You wouldn't happen to be Princess Vanellope, would you?"

"Princess...?" She snickered at the word, "pffft, what are you, nuts?"

* * *

___Yes, I realize this is pretty short.  
_

_I consider this chapter 7.5 because of how little the plot advances... it rather focused on the storyarc between Ralph and Vanellope than the story as a whole.  
_

_I'm not going to be able to update this in the upcoming few weeks, AP exams is gone be eating up my time...  
_

___Reviews? Comments? Room for improvement? Thanks._


	9. Chapter 9: Paciscor

_With AP Exams done and gone, I'm now going full steam ahead on this fic! I'm keeping this short as well to get warmed up, I'll upload another chapter by the end of this week._

_*End of week update* I'm sorry! School's almost over, but I gotta finish strong. For now, chapter's will be updated irregularly._

* * *

**Chapter 9: Paciscor  
**

"Hah, who in the world told you that I was a PRINCESS?" Vanellope asked, as if flattered and offended at the same time.

Ralph answered, "Your good friend Tapper, apparently…"

That name didn't ring a bell to her. "Tapper? I dunno who he is…" She took a few seconds to think about the name before continuing, "But yea, princess? That for sure isn't me! I'm a racer, I know I am."

Ralph was fairly confused, "Wait, you said you don't know who Tapper is?" **(That doesn't make sense…)**

She responded in feign curiosity, "Yea, who's he?"

"Y'know, that tapster you met when this game came to the arcade? You went to his bar for a root beer?"

Vanellope commented wittingly, "Is he a tap dancer or something?"

"…No, a tapster is a bartender." Ralph said in matter-of-factness.

"Well, ya could've just said that… But yea, I don't know him. I never went to any 'bar' before… And I don't recall being able to leave this game because, I dunno, I'm a glitch."

**(Hmm, none of this seems to add up…)**

In an attempt to change the topic, Vanellope asked, "So anyway, you said your name is…Ralph, right?"

"Wreck-It Ralph," he clarified in a condescending tone.

"Right right. So why are you called that?"

"It's 'cause I wreck things, kind of self explanatory…"

"Oh, so does that mean you can break a door open? Like, ANY door?"

Ralph thought that she was up to something, he was almost certain of it. "Yea, pretty much…?"

"Say, do you think you can do me a little favor? All ya got to do is break something for me. I can break you free if you're willing to help."

He responded sardonically, "You're telling me, that this entire time you could've just freed me out from the beginning. That's great…No, yea, that's great…"

"Hey, you never asked." Vanellope retorted, "So come on, whaddaya say, friend?"

After assessing the situation, Ralph thought that the best thing to do was to comply."Hmph, if you can free me from these restraints, I guess I can help…"

Although he couldn't see, the girl made a triumphant pose with her fists.

"...But just so y'know, I gotta find a friend and head back to the arcade before it opens. I don't even know what time it is."

"Cmon, you have plenty of time! It's only midnight, just look at that clock on the wall- oh wait, you can't see."

She returned to the matter at hand. "So anyway, let's shake on it."

"Yea but, I'm kind of over here and you're over there," he pointed out the situation that he was on the ground tied up and some meters away from a chained Vanellope.

"Oh quit whining, Chuckles. Just roll over here!"

After a quick sigh, Ralph struggled to barrell roll on the floor quite amusingly towards Vanellope. At least, she thought it was amusing.

She had to hold her laughter a bit before he finally came near. "…Okay, now let's shake on it." Vanellope grabbed his massive thumb and index finger while he was still laying on the ground like a worm.

"Really? While I'm like this?"

"Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do."

After sealing the agreement, Vanellope commanded Ralph to position near her and stay still as she removed his blindfold and took a bite off of the Red Vines that were constricting Ralph's hands. She hesitated to bite the ones that were around his feet, but she held her nose as she did so. She had to do what she had to do.

She spat the licorice out of her mouth after realizing how stale it was. "Alright you're free. Now rise, my royal chump, break these chains and bust us outta here!"

**(Did she just…bite them off?)** He dusted himself and broke apart the chains that kept Vanellope incarcerated before facing the metal door that would lead them out of the fungeon.

Ralph cracked his knuckles and his neck left and right as he formed a fist, exerting a force that proved strong enough to knock down the door. The girl glitched at the moment, showing that she was impressed and felt assured that he was the right person for the job.

They both walked out cautiously, but much to Ralph's surprise, there was no need for stealth. "...What, there's no alarm system? No guards?"

"Well, King Candy never really expects anyone to escape so why bother, y'know?" Vanellope commented, "Eh, it's his loss anyway."

Ralph shrugged at the explanation. "So what is that small favor you wanted me to do?"

"Ahh it's uh..." she was trying to stall her answer, "At this one factory... Just follow me Chumbo, it's not too far from here."

Then suddenly, they heard a familiar – at least to Ralph - voice in their direction, "Vanellope, Ralph! You two there?"

The cautioned girl whispered to Ralph, "Who's that!?"

He assured her, saying, "Don't worry, I know who he is."

The figure they saw in the distance became less threatening to Vanellope as she noticed it was a tall man with a bowtie, walking with limited frames of animation.

* * *

_AP EXAMS ARE DOOOONE. NOW I'M FREEEEEE. FREE FAAALLIN.__  
_

_By the way, after reading a few fanfics on here, i noticed that some authors do review responses at the end of their chapters. I wanna do that tooooooo._

_(So starting this chapter, I'll start doing responses to reviews? Exciting!)_

_Reviews, comments, questions welcome._

_Kairi's friend_: _Y'know, your comment makes me wonder: I dunno what i'm gonna do with Felix in this fanfic, since I recently noticed how Tapper is being more involved in this story than Felix._


	10. Chapter 10: Fortuna

**Chapter 10: Fortuna  
**

"Well I'll be, you guys really are here!" Tapper exclaimed as he was walking towards Vanellope. "Long time no see, Schweetz!"

He happily greeted the girl with open arms, expecting her to run into him with a hugging embrace after haven't seeing him in eons.

Instead, she took a step back, refusing to acknowledge his gesture for a hug. "Uhh, hi mister."

Tapper felt uneasy about the way she was acting. "Hah, there's no need to be timid, Vanellope…"

After an awkward pause, she quickly climbed up to Ralph's ear to whisper, "Hey who is this guy, and how does he know my name?"

Never before has anyone invaded Ralph's personal space as much as Vanellope did. "Hey hey, not too close… and we'll talk about this later."

After Ralph put her down by the hood, he asked, "Hey Tapper, where have you been? Everyone in the arcade's worried about you."

Tapper responded immediately, as if he knew Ralph was going to ask that question. "Ah, I suppose that's why you came here, to look for me? Well, I've been spending the past day in a jail cell, but a few minutes ago, I noticed there were a couple of bars that were loose, so I broke them off, climbed out, and here I am."

"Let me guess, you were in there because of King Candy?"

"Indeed…" Tapper wanted to change the topic. "So what are you doing here with little miss princess?"

"Hah," Vanellope interrupted, still amused at the idea of being a princess, but slightly annoyed as well. "Why does everyone keep thinking I'm a princess? I mean, seriously!"

Neither Ralph or Tapper answered her question, but it gave Ralph the cue to ask, "Can I speak with you for a minute, Tapper?"

The bartender nodded after noticing the serious tone of Ralph's voice, and they both huddled some steps away from Vanellope, to which Ralph commanded, "Just stay here real quick."

"Well make it snappy, we've got somewhere to go to," She was a little excited and impatient for what was to come at the factory.

Ralph lowered his voice to Tapper, "So I don't know what's happening here, but Vanellope…" He rephrased his sentence, "She doesn't remember you."

Tapper looked down at the ground, contemplating more than anything, much to Ralph's surprise. Ralph thought that Tapper would be sad or in the least, in denial.

Ralph continued, "It seems that everything Graham said at the bar was right. I mean, I saw Vanellope glitch the moment I broke the door over there," He pointed to the fungeon door that was facing down on the ground some feet away from them.

"…Well then, I think I know what's going on here."

Curious as to what Tapper had to say, Ralph asked, "W-wait, what do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about this for a while when I was in the jail cell. Someone must've broken into the code vault."

Ralph was familiar with the vault as he said, "Hey I know what that is, there's one in my game too. Only protagonists know the password, right?"

"Well, at least that's how it's supposed to be," Tapper clarified. "The one who is programmed the most trustworthy in their game knows the password to the vault. Say, for example, Felix or Mario."

As they were talking, Vanellope was growing a little more impatient by the second.

"But as I was saying," Tapper continued, "Someone may have gone into the vault and locked everyone's memory – it's not possible to delete it, only suppress it." In the attempt to justify his claim, he said, "None of the oreo guards remember me, of whom I was pretty good acquaintances with. Sour Bill doesn't either, and of course, Vanellope as well…"

"Hey Ralph, I'm a little bored here! When are we going to the factory?" An anxious Vanellope interrupted in the distance.

"Just hold on a sec!" Ralph shouted back, "Sorry about that, the kid wants me to do her a little favor. Probably wreck a few things or something… So yea, what do you think we should do about all this?"

"I'm going to write something up on the 'help wanted' section of the bulletin board at Game Central Station. I need someone to find proof that someone broke into the code vault. After that, I'd be able to report it to the surge protector, and he can round up some people to search for the intruder."

"Sounds like a plan, do you think I should do something?"

"I don't know if this is asking too much from you, Ralph…" Tapper was a little hesitant, but asked anyway, "But do you think you can keep Vanellope company? She's technically a glitch at the moment. And from what I've been hearing around, glitches are looked down upon by everyone in every game."

After a short pause, Ralph answered, "I guess I can do that…I mean, I kind of need to hold up my end of the deal with her anyway."

"Thanks, Ralph," Tapper said with genuine appreciation. "So I'll see you later, then. Keep Vanellope safe, you hear?"

Ralph nodded in response.

Tapper took a few seconds to wave at Vanellope, who was kind enough to wave back. As he was walking away, Tapper turned around to say to Ralph, "And if you ever see the king again, be sure not to believe anything he says."

With those words said, Tapper ran off to head back to his game.

Vanellope approached Ralph as she commented, "That guy seemed nice. Tapper, was it?"

"Yeah." Ralph responded, eyeing Tapper who was running in the distance. "Now let's head to that factory."

"Finally! Let me lead the way."

They spent the next hour venturing towards the kart factory, having to be stealthy around Beard Papa, who was snoozing inside the security booth.

They slinked with success up to a durable door with an antagonizing picture of Vanellope's face on it. It was decorated with a circle-slash and the words: "NO GLITCHES".

"Alright, do your thing, knuckles. Bust it open." Vanellope pointed at the door, folding her hands in excitement.

Ralph pointed at her accusingly after having observed the door, "What's this? You're a full on criminal aren't you?"

"Hey, we shook on it." Vanellope responded, folding her arms.

Ralph sighed and took a quick jab at the door, breaking it into several pieces.

"Thank you, Jeeves." The girl saluted as she ran inside the room.

The room was dark, only lit by a glowing red button.

"So you never told me what we're going to do here."

Vanellope ran towards the button and stomped on it, lighting up the room. "You're gonna help me make a kart!"

Surrounding them were various pictures of karts, with a colorful "SELECT YOUR KART" hovering over each one.

"What, me? No, no no. Look kid, bad idea, trust me. I don't make things, I break things."

"Well, looks like you'll be stepping outside your comfort zone then, Gladys." She said as she was looking at which kart design she wanted.

"Ooh, this is a good one." She ran quickly towards a sleek red and light colored kart.

And then that fateful time between Vanellope and Ralph occured at the mini-game.

* * *

_Hi. Yes, I know I said I'd be going full steam ahead on this fic, but a few things happened that got me doing busywork..._

_nightmaster000: I think for this story in particular, I won't be giving any character spotlight on anymore minor characters. It'll make the story a little too broad to be focused? (is my reasoning)_

_JustSomeAverageGuy: I JUST LIKE ELLIPSES OKAY, lol jk. Thanks for critiquing my work. If anyone wants to criticize my work, feel free to do it (y'know, so long as it's justifiable)_

_kairi's friend: I WOULD use that if I found Tapper's reaction to be more...emotional._

_For everyone else who commented: I'm sorry if i didn't respond! I just, don't know how to respond to it, honest! but I appreciate everyone's comments._


	11. Chapter 11: Neco

**Chapter 11: Neco**

After a very clumsy, yet sincere effort in creating a new kart at the mini game, Ralph and Vanellope got to see the fruits of their labor. Ralph thought the kart looked mediocre, probably because the result looked nothing like the picture of the kart design they chose initially.

Then, his opinion changed when he witnessed Vanellope's reaction, which involved a myriad of "I LOVE IT"s being spewed out of her childlike mind while jumping around. Ralph knew all along that she was a child, but that was really the first time – at least to him – that it really showed.

"After all these years, I finally have a REAL kart!" Vanellope exclaimed, much to Ralph's happiness, but also to his bewilderment. "But kid, I thought you said King Candy tore down your kart before you got thrown into the Fungeon."

"That was my pedal powered kart. Hah, I didn't stand a chance with that thing," Vanellope was rubbing the side of the kart in admiration as she was talking, "But I just wanted to fit in with the others…"

In an attempt to drown out what she just confessed, she scooted towards the tray table full of pastry bags and grabbed two of them, handing one of them to Ralph.

"This work of art has got to be signed, no questions asked."

Ralph didn't feel comfortable signing the kart because he wasn't so proud of his skill in handwriting; capital letters were the only ones he knew how to write. "You sign it first, kiddo, I don't want to take up all the space."

The girl shrugged and used the pastry bag in her hand as a utensil to write in cursive. It clearly impressed Ralph, who was standing on the side of her in envy.

When she finished writing the last 'e' in her name, she said, "Alright Ralph, now your turn."

Ralph's enormous hands gave him a little trouble even when he was only writing 'AND'. Thus, he had to write slowly, giving Vanellope the opportunity to ask something.

"Hey," Vanellope hopped on to the driver's seat. "Do you uh…"

As he was starting on the 'R' of his name, he asked, "'Do I uh' what?"

"Do you know how to drive…?" She was fiddling with the pedals and control stick as she asked the question.

Ralph stopped writing but for a moment as he looked at her, wondering if she was asking that question because she herself didn't know how to drive.

"Drive what, a spaceship? Then in that case no, haha."

"No no, like a kart…"

Judging by her words, the tone of her voice, and her fiddling with the controls, Ralph figured that Vanellope, the one who said she was a racer instead of a princess, didn't know how to drive.

"Well, I can't say I do."

The girl's head went down in disappointment, but soon lit up when Ralph said, "But it shouldn't be that hard, right? Tell you what, if we find a place where we can practice, I'll help you learn how to drive."

A grateful Vanellope had but one word to say to him, "Thanks…"

Ralph went back to his writing, still working on his name, but progressing nonetheless. Vanellope was standing on the end of her kart, patiently waiting for Ralph to finish writing his name.

Then something caught her eye, almost tucked completely under his shirt. She made a huge gasp as she shouted, "Is that what I think it is!?"

She reached under Ralph's shirt without his permission and saw in her hands a medal, or a gold coin according to her. It was the same medal that Ralph threw at the cabinet glass window and picked up before he went back to sleep the night before.

She stared at it in amazement as she felt assured that her dream of becoming a real racer would finally come true.

"Can I have it Ralph, can I have it please, please please?"

Vanellope virtually begged as if her life was at stake, and Ralph noticed.

"But kid…That's the only shiny medal I have. All of my other medals are bricks. Lots of them."

She kept on begging, "But Ralph, it'll mean so much to me and and and," Vanellope's stammering made her look like she was getting ready to break down and cry, although that wasn't the case because she was just excited at the thought of possibly entering the Random Roster Race.

Ralph was just about done writing his name on the kart, so he turned his complete attention to Vanellope to ask her, "Okay okay, so at least tell me why it will 'mean so much to you.'"

She answered, "It's because if I get that coin, then I'll be able to use it to register at the Random Roster Race, and then I'll be able to race, and then I'll have a chance at winning, and then I'll become a real racer, and then I'll show up on the roster, and then I'll be able to-" She had to stop for a moment to catch her breath. Her ambition in becoming a real racer was manifest in her long-winded, run-on answer.

Ralph was quite amused, "Haha, woah wait kid, slow down."

Vanellope took a deep breath to tame her excitement for a time. "Long story short, Ralph, I just want to be happy."

Those words tugged on Ralph's heart strings. "Alright then Vanellope, you can have it."

He removed it from his neck and placed it on Vanellope's, who closed her eyes in utter gratefulness and joy.

A smiling Vanellope had few words to say to him this time, "Thanks, Ralph…"

The heartwarming moment was short lived as it was interrupted by an opening garage door and two figures.

"I suggest you two stay still if you don't want anything worse happen to your friend here, haha."

Ralph and Vanellope were able to recognize that the person talking was King Candy and the person on the side of him was Tapper, who seemed to have endured a beating.

"Tapper!" Ralph took a few steps forward and stopped at the sight of a gun – although candy themed, very dangerous - in King Candy's right hand.

"Uh-uh-uh," King Candy shot the glass windows of the factory to demonstrate the power of his lethal weapon, "If you make any sudden move, you and this friend of yours are never going to see the light of the arcade ever again, haha!"

Ralph never enjoyed being stressed or being angry, so in this case, he was not enjoying the situation at all. "Alright, King Candy, what do you want?"

"I want you to hand over that glitch on your side. Once I get her in this again," He pointed at a chunk of metal that was very familiar with Vanellope. "Then I'll hand Tapper over to you."

Ralph looked over at Vanellope, who had the 'deer-in-headlights' effect even more than he did.

"Vanellope," Ralph sighed, "I'm sorry." He walked over to her and carried her by the hoodie.

"Ralph, no! What are you doing!?" Vanellope struggled with all her might to loosen free, but to no avail.

He never uttered another word. Tapper saw everything that was happening, and felt remorse. The poor guy couldn't do anything when his hands were tied and feet restrained.

Still holding them at gunpoint, King Candy reached for the chunk of metal to put on Vanellope, looking away for just a moment. That moment was enough time for Ralph to use the pastry bag he kept hidden in his right hand.

A gush of icing hurled at King Candy as he turned around, exerting so much force that it pushed him down on to the ground and made the gun on his hand fling far out of reach.

Ralph, with his mind filled with anger and coded adrenaline, dropped down Vanellope on his left hand and sprinted towards King Candy yelling, "Let this be your first warning! Don't you ever mess with my friends!" With one swift strike from his fist, he punched King Candy out of existence. He bursted into code.

A few seconds after he committed the act, Ralph suddenly realized that King Candy wasn't regenerating from the spot he 'died'.

"King Candy, isn't…" Ralph panted heavily, staring at the remaining code that was fleeing into aether, "He isn't a part of this game…"

* * *

_Hi hello, It has been very long since my last update for this fanfic. I HAVE AN EXPLANATION THOUGH. I wrote chapter 11 far earlier, but the file got deleted (long story short) and i had to write it all over again. And plus as of recent, my other fanfic has been eating up my attention._

_To all those who like King Candy/Turbo, I'm sorry for what happens here!_

_Nightmaster000: Does this chapter answer your question? Lol i guess it doesn't. I'm not completely sure on how to answer that...  
_

_Dixie Darlin: And blowing the fuse he almost did indeed. With a gun anyway._

_Kairi's Friend: "How's the King Candy thing gonna work out with Ralph?"...W-well, hmm._

_Everyone else: Thank you for your comments and input! Remember that your suggestions are considered! _

_Reviews, suggestions, comments, and all that are welcome. Thanks._


	12. Chapter 12: Progressio

**Chapter 12: Progressio  
**

All that remained from Ralph's furious blow was a napkin that lingered in the air for a time.

It was only Tapper who noticed the peculiar object that flew out from King Candy's clothes. The bartender felt as if he was on the verge of discovering another clue, and apparently he was right. "Ralph, can I see that napkin over there?"

Wreck-It first released Tapper from his restraints before handing the napkin over. The big guy wasn't paying attention to what was written on it, most likely because he was still in shock that he actually killed a person. **(He was supposed to regenerate, I don't understand…) **While he has 'killed' Felix many times over the years, that was in their own game; this incident was different, evidently.

Tapper mumbled as he read the contents of the napkin, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start..."

His suspicions about the King were becoming even more justified. "T-This is my napkin… and my handwriting."

Ralph snapped out of his state of being in shock in order to pay attention to this important discovery. Vanellope on the other hand, was still in shock after witnessing for the first time violence to the degree of bursting code.

Then, in a sudden moment, Tapper collapsed on the ground from exhaustion by the pain he endured from King Candy. His posture was already weak, part of his face was bruised, and his clothes were covering other wounds he had.

"Tapper!" Naturally, Ralph ran over to him to assess the situation; the bartender was, needless to say, in bad shape.

"Tapper, I need to take you to my game and fix you u-"

"No no, don't take me through Game Central Station…" Tapper interrupted, taking into account the Neighborhood Watch Program that was still going on that night. "If anyone sees me like this, Surge is going to send people to conduct an investigation of Sugar Rush."

"What's the problem with that…?"

"They're going to investigate everyone here in Sugar Rush, and eventually they'll find out that the ruler of this place was killed. There's going to be alot more trouble."

"Yeah..." Then Ralph had an idea pop in his mind. "Oh wait! I could drop you off at Vanellope's place and fetch for Felix's hammer myself."

Vanellope commented sarcastically, "Yeah, no yeah, you don't have to ask for my permission."

"Vanellope, are you okay with that?"

"My place is shabby, but it'll do…"

The only way they could've exited the factory was through the booth where Beard Papa was posted, so with Vanellope on the seat of her kart, Ralph at the back, and a weak Tapper securely wrapped around his neck, they speeded out of the factory. Since Vanellope didn't know how to drive, Wreck-It had to use his own hands in order to keep the kart moving.

They flew by Beard Papa, who would have called security, but didn't have the authority to. All he was able to do was alert King Candy, who would then send out security - although the King decided to go alone this time. One thing that Ralph and the crew didn't know was that Papa saw everything that happened at the factory.

Vanellope directed Ralph towards Diet Cola Mountain and told him to drive into the wall between the sugar free lollipops.

"Are you crazy!?"

"Don't worry, it's a secret opening!"

Ralph really had to trust her for that moment as they were passing the wall. Nevertheless, he yelled as they were glitching through.

His hands made the kart come at a full stop. With everyone safe on board, Ralph climbed out the kart and observed what he thought looked like cave, and he wasn't so impressed.

"So this is where you live? In a cave?" **(Gee, this place looks like a dump…)**

Vanellope was a little offended. "This is only the entrance, Bub, check this out."

With Tapper still hanging on Wreck-It, Ralph followed Vanellope out into a giant area that can be only described as an unfinished bonus level. A pillar of Mentos was hanging over a giant pit of Diet Cola at the center.

"Diet Cola Hot Springs," Ralph read the sign in front of him, "Watch out for falling Mentos?"

"Yeah! Check this out," Vanellope grabbed a pebble and threw it as high as she could at one of the hanging Mentos, but missed by a longshot.

"Well, that was lame…" She embarrassingly admitted, "Well anyway, hey, look look look look!"

She ran up to a crude, makeshift shelter with a spongecake bed and candy wrappers, proudly proclaiming, "Welcome to my home!"

**(She lives here by herself, with all this garbage around her…?)**

She pointed at Tapper, saying, "He can rest on my bed… There's no other comfortable place around here."

Vanellope went to tend for her kart as Ralph placed the bartender on the spongecake bed as carefully as he could.

"Alright Tapper, I'll be back soon."

"Thanks, Ralph."

As soon as he layed down, Tapper almost immediately went to sleep.

And so while Ralph had the duty of finding Felix, Vanellope had the duty of babysitting for a time.

She was quite bored after fiddling with the pedals of her kart while waiting for Ralph to come back - or at least for Tapper to wake up. When the bartender awoke, he was quite calm yet weak. He saw Vanellope sitting on a rock, playing with her doll to pass the time.

Tapper greeted,"Hey there."

"Hiya mister," She replied politely, placing her doll on the side of her.

Tapper only had enough strength to sit on the bed, and when he got up to sit, he asked, "I haven't formally introduced myself, have I?"

"Tapper, right?"

His nod of confirmation gave Vanellope the cue to add, "I heard from Ralph that you're a bartender."

"And a counselor by night…unofficially."

Vanellope became concerned for Tapper after he started hurting as soon as he tried to stand up. He sat back down to ease the pain.

"If there's anything I can do to help, just ask," The girl offered, "You don't look so good right now…"

Tapper replied with a smile, assured that although Vanellope lost her memory, she was still the same in a way. "Thanks, kid."

Vanellope stood up, dusting off her skirt and walking closer to Tapper to say, "Hey, let me ask you something."

She placed her arms inside her sweater pocket as she asked, "How did you know my name when you first saw me outside the Fungeon?"

"Hah, well let's just say that when I first saw you, I thought you were someone I knew a long time ago," Tapper knew himself that he was technically telling the truth – technically, but not honestly. "She went by the name Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz."

"Oh yeah? What a coincidence..." Vanellope didn't like the sound of that name when 'princess' was stuck in front of it. "Was she a glitch too?"

Tapper had to think for a while before answering that question.

"...She is now."

* * *

_Hiya,_

_If any of you find Tapper's comment about the napkin to be associated with Dixie Darlin's fanfic Benefactor, that's because I READ IT (Due credit goes out to Dixie Darlin alone for the idea). Check it out if you haven't seen it, it's a good, sensible explanation as to how Turbo got the Konami Code at Tapper's._

_Oh and yes, Vanellope really does have a doll in the movie._

_Nightmaster000: ...I kinda wrote the story so that King Candy wouldn't regenerate, so yea, he's really dead. SORRY_

_XXPay4XtraShippingsXX: Y-you almost got me there, :p_

_Dixie Darlin: I wasn't expecting that either...Till I wrote chapter 11 lol._

_Samtastic V2.0: (I'm from the states) So uh, long story short, I am very bad at making titles for chapters, so I just use Latin words (i.e. Neco, Fortuna, Fefello) that I believe sum up the chapter. Yeah I'm lame X)_

_Eazer5615: Yeah uh, sorry. I've already had an idea about what I was going to write for this chapter before I read your comment. I appreciate your suggestion though!_

_Which reminds me, comments and suggestions are always welcomed here, thanks (and if I don't respond to your comment, it's nothing personal - I just don't know how to respond to it, but they are always appreciated!)._


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